Apparatus for distilling oil-bearhto shale



H. R. STRAIGHT.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING OIL BEARING SHALET APPLICATION FILED JULY 31.1918.

Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

Jzverziork ,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HALVEB B. STRAIGHT, OF ADEL,1 IOWA.

- APPARATUS FOR DIS'SIZILLING OIL-BEARING SHALE.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, .HALVER 'RUFUs- STRAIGHT, a citizen of the- United States and resident of Adel, in the county of Dallas and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Distilling Oil-Bearing Shale, of which the folparatus for distillin the more volatile in-.

' gredients from the s ale, and that after the shale has been heated to a certain extent sufiicient to release the more volatile ingredients, it is then placed in the present apparatus for the purpose of further heating it and removing the less volatile ingredients.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this kind in which the shale may be subjected to high temperatures without injury to the apparatus.

Still a further object is to provide an apparatus of this kind which may be economicall operated by utilizing the preheated con ition of the shale when combined with air in measured quantities for further increasing the temperature. of the mass of shale by combustion of the shale itself. Still a further object is to provide improved means for admitting fuel gas, steam and air into thejinterior of the tainer. v

My vention consists in. the construction, 'ar ngement and combination of the various parts of the apparatus, whereb the ereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in shale conmy claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a-vertical, central, sectional view of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged, detail, sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 of F1 1; and

Fig. 3shows anend elevation o the ap-' v a distance of approximatel half the length paratus.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 31, 1918. Serial No. 247,692.

indicate a cylindrical shale receptacle. This receptacle is preferably composed of an inner layer 10 of fire-brick, and an outer layer 11 of metal. The lower end portion 12 is preferably flat, and the upper end portion is arched.

Arranged on the exterior of the cylindrical shale receptacle are two or-more circular beveled tracks 14, which rest upon and are engaged by the supporting wheels 15. There are preferably two or more of these supporting wheels 15 for each track.

For the purpose of rotating the shale receptacle there is a cylindrical rim 16, having cog teeth thereon which are engaged by and in mesh with a pinion 17 on the shaft 18 driven by an electric motor 19 or other source of power, through a worm 20,

a worm wheel 21, or in any other suitable.

manner. The cylindrical receptacle is pref- .I have used the reference numeral 10 to I degrees relative to a horizontal line, as

At the upper or receiving end of the receptacle is a metal sleeve 22, having an opening therein to receive the discharge end 23 of a hopper 24' for containing shale, and extended through this same opening in the sleeve 22 is a vapor pipe 25, one end of clearly shown, in Fig. 1.

which projects into-the interior of the re-' ceptacle above the shale line, and its other end communicates with an exhaust fan 26 driven by amotor 27 or in any other suitable manner, for dischargin the vapors into a condenser 28, which con enser leads to a settling tank 29. From this tank them are a number of discharge pipes 30, 31 and 32, by means of which the various ingredients,

such, for instance, as heavy oils, paraflin be drawn from and ammonia liquor, ma

ave been settled the tank 29 after they and separated into layers within the tank 29.

At the lower or discharge end of the receptacle is a metal collar 33 fixed to the receptacle to rotate therewith, and provided with a series of openings at 34, lead ing into the interior of the receptacle and through which the spent shale may be discharged.

Fixed to the central portion of this plate is a mixing nozzle 35 which projects centrally into the interior of the receptacle for of the shale receptacle. T is mixing nozzle in position by means of the blocks 37 as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

At the rear or lower end of the nozzle 35 is a packing box 38', into which is inserteda tube 39 which is designed to remain stationary while the nozzle and the receptacle rotate freely about it in the said packing box. Mounted on a stationary bracket adjacent to the rear or lower end of the receptacle, is a dischar e spout 10, arranged to receive the spent ale and to conduct it to a suitable point of discharge.

Communicating with the tube 39 1s a. gas pipe 41, a steam pipe 42and a valve 43 to admit air, so that steam, air and as may discharged into the nozzle 35, e1t er olntly or independently, as may'vbe desired, and in an desired proportion.

n practical use, and assuming that the receptacle has. been filled to the point indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, with oilbearing shale that has been previously heated to such a temperature as is sufiicient to release therefrom such ingredients as, for invents it from fiuxing, so that the va stance, gasolene, kerosene and 1i ht lubricating oils, and that the material as been de posited in the receptacle at about the temperature required for releasing light fuel oils, that is about nine hundred degrees Fahrenheit, then the receptacle is rotated in the manner explained, and the air valve is opened to permit a measured quantity of air to be forced into the nozzle 35 by means of the steam pipe 42 acting as an injector. The steam and air thus introduced are forced outwardly through the nozzle into the center of the mass of heated oil-bearing shale, and furnish just sufiicient oxygen to produce slow combustion of portions of the oil-bearing shale. This combustion of the shale itself very quickly raises the temperature of the entire mass of shale to such high temperatures as are necessary in releasing therefrom the less volatile ingredients, such, for instance, as heavy oils, paraflin and nitrogen. The rotation of the receptacle constantly turns over the mass of shale and pre r an gases that have been released by t e heat can readil pass upwardly to the vapor and as cham er at t e top of the receptacle. he admission of steam, in addition to servgas ing as an injector, also aids materially, in the separation of the vapors and gases fromthe mass of shale.

In the event that the admissiomof air and steam alone to the interior of the nozzle is not sufficient to ignite the adjacent portions of the shale, the gas )ipe is opened to per.- mit a quantity of in ammable gas to enter the nozzle 35, and this gas when ignited by the hot shale will soon bring up the temperature to the desired amount to cause the adjacent portions of the shale to burn. Obviously, the amount of heat that is generated inside the receptacle can be regulated to a nicety to suit the requirements, by regulating either the amount of gas or air that is admitted to the mixing nozzle.

One of the important advanta es in connection with my invention is tiat in the more volatile vapors may .be released from the shale by the application of heat at temperatures which Wlll not injure the cast iron conveyors, Whereas it is impracticable to heat the shale to such temperatures as would release the less volatile vapors, such, for instance, as the ones herein described, in a conveyer of cast iron.

An apparatus for removing the more volatile ingredients is illustrated and described in a companion application, filed by me on July 31, 1918, Serial Number 247,693.

In practice it is obvious that only a negligible quantity of the ingredients of the oilbearing shale is lost in this improved apparatus, because the parts of the shale that are ignited and glowing and that provide the heat for raising the temperature of the rest of the mass, are the parts that are near the burned out they are discharged from the interior of the receptacle; whereas the incoming supply of preheated oil-bearing shale is rapidl raised in temperature and its valuable vo atile ingredients are ra idly raised in temperature and vaporize and the vapor discharged, before the combustion of the remaining carbon contents therein has commenced.

- I do not intend to limit the application or use of my invention solely for the purposes before described, as it has a considerable degree of usefulness in its present form for roasting ore, or other purposes. 'In such instances, however, the material being operated on has to derive all of its heat from the flame.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, an inclined heating chamber mounted for rotation, said chamber having an opening in its upper end for receiving shale or the like, said chamber having in its lower end an opening for the discharge of shale, a heater nozzle projected into the interior of said chamber through the lower end thereof in the axisrof rotation of the chamber, means for supplying fuel and air to said nozzle, and means for rotating said chamber whereby said chamber may be rotated and the contents thereof heated from within, so that portions of the shale itself may be used for combustion.

2. In a device of the class described, an inclined heating chamber mounted for rotation, means for rotating said heating chamher, said chamber having an opening at its upper end for receiving shale or the like, a gas and vapor carrying tube projected through said opening a substantial distance into the upper part of said chamber whereby its intake opening in the chamber is located above the level of the shale in the chamber, as said shale is agitated and moved downwardly through said chamber, said chamber having an' opening in its lower end for constantly discharging shale duringl the operation ofthe device, and means for eating the shale in said chamber, a hopper having a discharge member projected into said first opening.

Des Moines, Iowa, July 13, 1918.

, HALVER R. STRAIGHT. 

